Good afternoon,
Firstly I would like to thank all the members who have very kindly taken the time to write to me expressing their views about the evidence given in this week’s DCMS Select Committee Hearing and the wider issue of discrimination in our game.
Whilst I have personally replied to each of these members individually, I felt it might be helpful to also write an open letter to all members covering the matters raised, some of which are recurring themes, to firmly underline our position on discrimination of any kind.
What is clear, from the evidence provided by Azeem Rafiq, and from the numerous other incidents which have come to light over recent days and weeks, is that there is a huge amount of work to be done to eradicate racism and discrimination of any kind in the game, and that responsibility falls very firmly upon each and every one of us.
Whilst there is certainly no room for complacency, and we absolutely acknowledge that there is an enormous amount of work ahead of us to continue to make a positive impact in this area, as CEO of this Club I am proud of what Middlesex Cricket has done over the last eighteen months, and continues to do, to address the issue of inclusivity and discrimination, and significant progress has and continues to be made.
For nearly eighteen months we have had a Board appointed Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, whose membership includes current Board members, members of the Club, eminent academics, local community representatives, and coaches and ex-players from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
This Committee has developed and is currently working on delivering a Diversity and Inclusion Activation Plan that aims to address four critical areas within the Club and the county at large:
The Committee is taking expert independent advice on the key foundations we need to put in place immediately to ensure the successful delivery of the Club’s D&I Activation Plan and on the steps we need to take to refine it as we move forwards.
This Committee is now also leading us on direct actions that have resulted from this week’s hearing, which has seen us implement a number of processes to help us achieve a better understanding of the situation and to enable us to act upon them accordingly.
We have set up a dedicated whistle-blowing email address, [email protected], for anyone to disclose incidents of discrimination they may have experienced directly or witnessed towards others. We have reached out to former players to gain insight into any historic discrimination issues that may have occurred and have given assurances that matters will be fully investigated, we have created an online anonymous disclosure form for people who wish to report anything of concern to us yet remain unnamed, and we have been in regular communication with the media to outline our zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination and the actions that we as a Club are taking.
Furthermore, we are currently engaging with former players, with a focus on young players of ethnic heritage who have not continued their careers in the game, to give us a greater understanding of the reasons why and are continuing to educate our staff and players on all matters pertaining to inclusivity and anti-discrimination.
Let me stress, whilst there is a lot of work being done in this area, we will not stop. Discrimination of any kind has to be eradicated and you have my personal assurance, on behalf of everyone at Middlesex Cricket, that we will continue to do all within our power to stamp this out and strive to make Middlesex an inclusive Club that offers a welcoming, open, non-discriminatory, and inclusive environment for everyone.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, I hope it goes some way towards explaining how important an issue this is for us as a Club, and we will continue to focus on learning and improving. As always, your ongoing support and loyalty is hugely appreciated.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Cornish
Chief Executive Officer, Middlesex Cricket